The chaotic build-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup will finally settle down on Friday when the countdown to the main tournament begins with a bunch of warm-up matches.
It has been a rather subdued lead-up to the 50-over tournament, mainly due to the inordinate delays in announcing the schedule, finalising venues, sale of match tickets and even squad announcements. But, finally, the focus can now shift to action on the pitch.
Pakistan v New Zealand, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan v South Africa mark the unoffical beginning of the World Cup, bringing with it its own sense of disquiet.
Pakistan were up until recently the top-ranked ODI team in the world. Then, they failed to make it to the final of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, lost badly to India and also witnessed their star pacer Naseem Shah aggravate a shoulder injury that was woefully miss-managed.
Suddenly, there were murmurs of wholesale changes to the team and even the leadership. But in the end, the management retained the personnel utilised throughout this year.
On Wednesday, Babar Azam led a Pakistan cricket contingent on to Indian soil for the first time in seven years, highlighting the significance of the occasion and also the misfortune of fans on both sides of the border given the paucity of such interactions.
The adulation Pakistan received upon arriving in Hyderabad, where they will play the warm-up games and also their first two World Cup matches, will unfortunately be missed when they take on the Kiwis on Friday as the local government could not provide adequate security owing to festivities, forcing the match behind closed doors.
New Zealand will have two main points of focus – captain Kane Williamson and seamer Tim Southee. Williamson was included in the side even though he has yet to prove his match fitness after undergoing knee surgery.
Fast-bowler Southee fractured his thumb and is aiming to be ready for the second of third game of the main World Cup.
Equally rocky has been the preparation of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The islanders gave a good account of themselves during the Asia Cup, reaching the final despite missing their entire front-line bowling attack. Then in the final against India, they were shot out for 50 in a record defeat.
Captain Dasun Shanaka’s position came under the microscope but with very little time left for the tournament in India, he retained the role. While they will still be without star spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, the fight the Lankans showed on spin friendly surfaces at home prove they will not be pushovers on similar pitches in India.
Bangladesh, however, are a different story altogether. Right before the team was to leave for India, tension between Shakib Al Hasan and former captain Tamim Iqbal spilt out into the open.
Left-handed batsman Iqbal was excluded from the squad, with varying reports of his fitness and unavailability. Captain Shakib said the veteran batsman had been omitted due to “totally childish” behaviour.
That Iqbal was considered in the first place was amazing in itself as he had just returned to the side for a home series against New Zealand after a two-month absence following his shock resignation in July. That decision was rescinded just a day later after the personal intervention of Bangladesh's Prime Minister.
It was an unnecessary distraction for an otherwise in-form white-ball Tigers side.
The Proteas, meanwhile, should be fairly confident going into the tournament. They recently defeated Australia in a home ODI series, putting up 300-plus totals for fun.
While they will miss pace leader Anrich Nortje, who is out injured, they will have enough resources and local knowledge, acquired by their players during many season in the IPL.
It has been a far from ideal preparation for the World Cup, for organisers and many teams. But once the action begins, all will be forgotten.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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Key facilities
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BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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